Combined cycle, gas turbine-based power plants are becoming popular today throughout the world because of their high efficiency, reliability, and ruggedness. Conventionally, such power plants include a gas turbine unit having a compressor for compressing ambient air and producing compressed air, a combustion chamber to which the compressed air is supplied, a source of fuel for burning in the combustion chamber and producing combustion gases, and a gas turbine connected to and driving a generator and the compressor for expanding the combustion gases and producing exhaust gases.
The apparatus further includes an energy converter which uses water as a working fluid and which is responsive to the exhaust gases of the turbine for converting heat in the exhaust gases to electricity. The cooled exhaust gases are then vented to the atmosphere.
The use of water as the working fluid of the energy converter, and the presence of a steam turbine, results in a complex power plant operating on high pressure steam which adversely affects operating expenses of the power plant. For example, the plant must be manned at all times by a licensed steam engineer; and a water treatment system is required. Condenser vacuum problems must be taken into account, and special provision must be made for winter operation when the temperature is below freezing.
It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved apparatus, and method for using the same, for generating power which is less complex in construction and easier to maintain than the conventional apparatus described above.